Obama's DOJ Relentless in Efforts to Force NYT Journalist to Reveal Confidential Source
'This administration has an atrocious record for prosecuting whistleblowers. Can it really get away with jailing the reporters who talk to them, too?'
US federal prosecutors in Obama's Justice Department remain committed in their attempts to force James Risen, the national security reporter for the New York Times, to betray his confidential source and testify in the trial of former CIA analyst James Sterling who remains a key character in the president's unprecedented legal assault on government whistelblowers.
As the Guardian's Ed Pilkington reports Tuesday:
The Department of Justice has filed a legal argument with the US appeals court for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Virginia, in which it strongly opposes any further consideration of Risen's petition. Risen's lawyers have asked the court to convene a full session of the 15-member court to decide whether the journalist should be granted First Amendment protection that would spare him from having to reveal the identity of his source to whom he promised confidentiality.
A three-member panel of the same court last month issued a 2-1 majority ruling in which they found that reporters had no privilege that would safeguard the confidentiality of their sources in a criminal trial. The judgement leaves Risen, a prominent investigative reporter specialising in national security issues, facing the prospect of having to break his promise to his source or go to jail.
The legal crunch emerged from Risen's 2006 book, State of War, in which the author reveals details of the CIA's attempts to foil Iran's nuclear programme. James Sterling, a former CIA employee, is being prosecuted under the Espionage Act for the criminal disclosure of the information - one of seven officials to face the severe charges under the Obama administration including Chelsea Manning who has been sentenced to 35 years in military jail as the WikiLeaks source.
Part of what critics call Obama's damaging assault on both journalism and whistleblowers, the case exemplifies the extremes to which the DOJ and the administration have gone in order to convict those accused of exposing government secrets, even in the name of serving the public interest.
As fledgling journalist Lindsey Bever recently opined:
We take too much in our democracy for granted - for journalists cannot successfully hold government accountable in a society that does not recognise a reporter's right to exercise discretion with his sources and the information they provide. This administration has an atrocious record for prosecuting whistleblowers. Can it really get away with jailing the reporters who talk to them, too?
________________________________________
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. In a few short weeks, US voters will have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
US federal prosecutors in Obama's Justice Department remain committed in their attempts to force James Risen, the national security reporter for the New York Times, to betray his confidential source and testify in the trial of former CIA analyst James Sterling who remains a key character in the president's unprecedented legal assault on government whistelblowers.
As the Guardian's Ed Pilkington reports Tuesday:
The Department of Justice has filed a legal argument with the US appeals court for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Virginia, in which it strongly opposes any further consideration of Risen's petition. Risen's lawyers have asked the court to convene a full session of the 15-member court to decide whether the journalist should be granted First Amendment protection that would spare him from having to reveal the identity of his source to whom he promised confidentiality.
A three-member panel of the same court last month issued a 2-1 majority ruling in which they found that reporters had no privilege that would safeguard the confidentiality of their sources in a criminal trial. The judgement leaves Risen, a prominent investigative reporter specialising in national security issues, facing the prospect of having to break his promise to his source or go to jail.
The legal crunch emerged from Risen's 2006 book, State of War, in which the author reveals details of the CIA's attempts to foil Iran's nuclear programme. James Sterling, a former CIA employee, is being prosecuted under the Espionage Act for the criminal disclosure of the information - one of seven officials to face the severe charges under the Obama administration including Chelsea Manning who has been sentenced to 35 years in military jail as the WikiLeaks source.
Part of what critics call Obama's damaging assault on both journalism and whistleblowers, the case exemplifies the extremes to which the DOJ and the administration have gone in order to convict those accused of exposing government secrets, even in the name of serving the public interest.
As fledgling journalist Lindsey Bever recently opined:
We take too much in our democracy for granted - for journalists cannot successfully hold government accountable in a society that does not recognise a reporter's right to exercise discretion with his sources and the information they provide. This administration has an atrocious record for prosecuting whistleblowers. Can it really get away with jailing the reporters who talk to them, too?
________________________________________
US federal prosecutors in Obama's Justice Department remain committed in their attempts to force James Risen, the national security reporter for the New York Times, to betray his confidential source and testify in the trial of former CIA analyst James Sterling who remains a key character in the president's unprecedented legal assault on government whistelblowers.
As the Guardian's Ed Pilkington reports Tuesday:
The Department of Justice has filed a legal argument with the US appeals court for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Virginia, in which it strongly opposes any further consideration of Risen's petition. Risen's lawyers have asked the court to convene a full session of the 15-member court to decide whether the journalist should be granted First Amendment protection that would spare him from having to reveal the identity of his source to whom he promised confidentiality.
A three-member panel of the same court last month issued a 2-1 majority ruling in which they found that reporters had no privilege that would safeguard the confidentiality of their sources in a criminal trial. The judgement leaves Risen, a prominent investigative reporter specialising in national security issues, facing the prospect of having to break his promise to his source or go to jail.
The legal crunch emerged from Risen's 2006 book, State of War, in which the author reveals details of the CIA's attempts to foil Iran's nuclear programme. James Sterling, a former CIA employee, is being prosecuted under the Espionage Act for the criminal disclosure of the information - one of seven officials to face the severe charges under the Obama administration including Chelsea Manning who has been sentenced to 35 years in military jail as the WikiLeaks source.
Part of what critics call Obama's damaging assault on both journalism and whistleblowers, the case exemplifies the extremes to which the DOJ and the administration have gone in order to convict those accused of exposing government secrets, even in the name of serving the public interest.
As fledgling journalist Lindsey Bever recently opined:
We take too much in our democracy for granted - for journalists cannot successfully hold government accountable in a society that does not recognise a reporter's right to exercise discretion with his sources and the information they provide. This administration has an atrocious record for prosecuting whistleblowers. Can it really get away with jailing the reporters who talk to them, too?
________________________________________